Hasmonean

Cyrus made changes and allowed them to return to Jerusalem. Under the leadership of Sheshbazzar, Zerubbabel, and Jeshua the priest, the Jews began the process of rebuilding the temple. When the project was finished in 516, the ceremonial worship was reestablished. A priestly scribe named Ezra brought back various reforms to Jerusalem. Around 445, Nehemiah became governor of Judea. During his tenure, Nehemiah was instrumental in rebuilding the city walls and revitalizing the economy. Ezra and Nehemiah both purposed themselves to bring back the law into the lives of the Jews. The Hellenistic Period (331-164 BC) Alexander the Great (331-320 BC) The Hellenistic period lasted from the fall of the Persians in 331 BC until the Hasmonean revolt in 164 BC. The term “Hellenism” originated from the conquests of Alexandria the Great. Alexander did not live and reign for an extended amount of time, but he accomplished great feats by winning major influential battles. Alexander had great military skill and a tremendous courage that propelled his drive to succeed. During the first year of his conquests, Alexander defeated the Persian generals. Then, for the next few years he moved through the land winning battles and conquering territories. With his defeat of the Persian ruler, Darius, Alexander took the throne and was announced as the new world ruler. Alexander, however, took fever at the age of 33 and died after only 13 years of ruling. Ptolemaic Period (320-198…

of the high priest, stripping Onias of the position and giving it to Onias’ brother Jason (VanderKam, 18). Antiochus IV would continue to switch out high pries during his reign, however this was not the only action he took against the Jewish people. Antiochus IV attacked the city of Jerusalem multiple times, ransacking the temple and claiming the city as his citadel (VanderKam, 19-20). After taking the city, he declared all religious practices he disagreed with illegal, effectively making it…

Rome. Through the Roman insertion, the Jewish state came to an end and Rome took power over Palestine. Roman Period (63 BC-AD 70) Now that Palestine was under Roman rule, it looked very similar to the Syrian rule. Men, such as Antigonus, Hyrcanus II, Antipater, Phasael, and Herod, were all competing for power. Hyrcanus II was instituted as the high priest and chief political leader, but he was not necessarily a strong leader. In time, the Roman governor removed the chief political leader…

Like all dynasties however, they all fall and the Hasmonean dynasty ended when an expanding Roman Empire intervened in a dynastic clash between brothers. From there Roman’s rule would be one that Jews would never overlook or pardon. The Jewish people were also able to manufacture a sizable body of literature that both recorded and addressed their Era during these miserable years of tyranny and internal strife. Three of the more noteworthy works of the Bible would be discovered during this time:…

In the beginning, Palestinians didn’t live a so-called “religious life”. It was messy, all over the place, even though mental notes of the Jewish God seemed to be everywhere in life of the first century. It seemed to be that the mood of the religion seemed to change with the wind or seasons for that matter. It also wasn’t like that in just one region, but throughout the whole land that considered and claimed Judaism. The most sacred and restricted food was the pig, which honestly is no surprise…

New Testament Sadducees, are descendants from Hasmonean families (Middendorf 50). The Sadducees are from the known parts of Jerusalem (Middendorf 50). They belong to the upper classes of Israel and are high priestly families (The Jewish Religious System). The Sadducees are leaders in the Jewish culture, yet rejected all supernatural objectives. They did not believe in the “popular beliefs of angels, spirits, and the resurrection of the dead” (Middendorf 50). The Sadducees had talked with…

oral law known as the fence around the Torah. In creating specifics to laws, the Pharisees ensure they are living a strict conservative lifestyle as to remain pure. Pharisees hold little power in Palestine during the first century as they remained a small close sect of Judaism to avoid possible impure interactions. Through maintaining a strict lifestyle and avoiding affiliation with the Gentiles of Palestine, the Pharisees believed living in a Gentile ruled world was accomplished by keeping to…

recent excavation of the site was due to the fact that a modern road was planned to be constructed nearby. The author tells us that Umm el-‘Umdan is located with Modi’in. The town is named Modi’in now to commemorate the Maccabees. During the excavation, there were discoveries of multiple structures dating during different time periods that help identify the site as a Jewish village. Weksler-Bdolah tells us that the first one is an unknown synagogue that dates when the Second Temple still…

over Judea. He was the father of Agrippa II to whom Paul witnessed in Acts 26 and the grandson of Herod the Great who was made infamous by his slaughter of babies to eliminate a potential threat to his reign. Agrippa I spent several years in Rome where he became friends with Caligula who later became emperor. His friendship with Caligula eventually won him his appointment in Judea. Caligula’s instability and cruelty are well documented in history. It was Agrippa’s relationship to this cruel…

a large area of the Dead Sea’s northwestern shore. These scrolls were retrieved from eleven different caves and are classified in three categories: Jewish literature (400 manuscripts), biblical books (200, manuscripts) and Sectarian compositions (200 manuscripts). The Dead Sea Scrolls had been kept hidden for over two thousand years, so this discovery was viewed as incredibly valuable for early Christianity and the history of Judaism. These findings ignited public interest and invoked…